Flying Shadows
by Jaid Skywalker
Summary: UPDATED! Yugi is chased by a mysterious presence; is it the same one that hunted Ryou? New allies appear, some stranger than others...
1. Autumn Days

**Jaid: Here I am! With a great new story for you all. ^__^**

**Naga: *snort* In your opinion, anyway. **

**Jaid: Hey! That isn't...Naga! Jad! YOU'RE BACK!**

**Jad: Yup. It was a great vacation. **

**Naga: *sighs* And now...it's back to reality...**

**Jaid: I missed you guys so much!! *hugs Jad* **

**Jad: Um...that's nice...Jaid, you're choking me...**

**Jaid: Sorry! Your turn, Naga!**

**Naga: *backing away* No! Stay back!**

**Jaid: Aw, come on! It's been months! Give your authoress a hug! **

**Naga: NOOOOO!!! *runs away* **

**Jad: *sweatdrop* Ah...er...anyway, if you are a new reader, it is highly recommended that you read "Aishiteru" and "Sands of Time" before this, although this one could stand alone somewhat. *Jaid and Naga run by in the back ground* **

**Jaid: Just one hug! **

**Naga: ABSOULUTELY FREAKING NOT!!**

**Jad: *sweatdrops again* Um, anyway, the R rating is for a reason. Jaid wants license to be unnecessarily violent. Please enjoy the story. *goes off to prevent the destruction of the house due to Jaid and Naga***

*********

Fall had come. Gone were the warm days of summer. At Domino High, students were scattered on the outside grounds, school having just ended for the day. In the cool, crisp October weather, the trees proudly displayed their banners of gold, red and orange. 

Leaning against one of the trees was Ryou Bakura. His eyes were closed and his white hair provided a violent contrast to the deep brown bark of the oak he stood under. Slung over his shoulder was his leather book bag and the boy had unbuttoned his school jacket as soon as he had left the building. 

The events of the summer had left him and Bakura drained. The spirit had not spoken much and seemed to lock himself away even more than before. Ryou felt sorry for him, but didn't know how to help. 

In a way, school had come as a pleasant change. Routine was comforting after the bewildering aspects of their vacation in Egypt. Briefly, Ryou wondered how Isis and Shadi were doing. 

Pushing away from his tree and he opened his eyes. Across from him at the stairs of the main entrance, stood a group of girls. They were all clad in the pink jackets and short blue skirts required by the school, but there the likeness ended. 

Tea Gardener was facing him most directly, her reddish brown hair held back with some silver clips Yugi had given her for her birthday; two weeks ago. She had worn them every chance she had since. On her left stood Katya Suzuki. A tiny girl with big grey eyes and a bright smile, she was currently dating Tristan. 

On Tea's right was a tall, slender girl with long golden hair. Her green eyes were filled with sharp intelligence and laughter. She was Tara Etsuko, captain of the Cheerleadering squad and Duke Devlin's much envied girl-friend. 

The last girl was opposite Tea, and so had her back to Ryou. Her dark brown hair was in a high ponytail and a duffle bag was over her shoulder along with her school bag. She turned away and met his eyes with her own gold-flecked brown ones. A slow smile spread over her face and Ryou returned it as she walked over. 

"Are you watching me?" she asked, in a teasing voice. Ryou shrugged. 

"I figured I'd escort you to the track field." The English boy stated. The girl, Rei Yukimona, nodded. 

"Okay." She answered. The two of them fell into step with one another. 

Ryou had met Rei earlier in the year, in February. They had met thanks to Tara, who was Rei's best friend. The two of them had become fast friends themselves...and during the Egyptian incident, something more as well. 

Not that they really talked about it. Ryou knew that it made Rei uncomfortable and so, things had gone very slow. He was all right with it for now. After all, they had a lot to time. 

Even so, he cautiously put his arm around her shoulders and smiled to himself when Rei leaned against him slightly. 

***

"A Halloween party?" Seto looked up from his laptop to look at his girlfriend, Serenity Wheeler. The red-headed girl was in her school uniform, which was a navy blue and white sailor outfit. She smiled cutely. 

"Why not? We could even have a Duel Monsters theme if you like." She suggested. Seto looked back at his screen. 

"I'm not really a party person." He stated. Serenity sighed a little. 

"That's because you work so much." The girl stood and walked over, gently closing the top of the computer. "Come on, Seto. Mokuba would have a blast and it would be fun to prepare for. Besides, what's the point of this big house if you don't use it for something?" 

Seto stared into her green eyes. Inwardly, he knew she would eventually win. Like with Mokuba, Seto couldn't refuse something she had her heart set on. 

The young CEO sighed in defeat. "All right." He said reluctantly, trying not to feel warm satisfaction at the way her face brightened. "But-" 

"You don't want to be bothered. Of course. Mokuba and I will take care of everything and only ask you about the important things." Serenity leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you! Now, I have to go. I promised Joey I'd meet him for dinner tonight." 

"I'll call the car for you." 

"I can walk, Seto." Serenity stated, picking up her school bag and jacket. 

"I'll call the car." Seto stated firmly, picking up his phone. "It's getting dark." 

Serenity forbear from rolling her eyes. Between Seto and Joey, she was well-protected, but sometimes it was a little much. Seto put the phone back down and stood, to walk her down to the door. Serenity's smile returned and Seto's face relaxed as they walked out. 

***

Yami sat on Yugi's bed, looking bored as the boy muttered to his math book. Yugi's brows were drawn in tightly and his mechanical pencil was tapping against the edge of his mouth. 

"How much longer?" Yami asked. 

"Huh?" Yugi looked up. "Oh, I don't know. Not too much longer, I think. Why?" 

The spirit shrugged looking away. A merry grin lit up Yugi's face. "Bored?" 

"Perhaps." 

Yugi turned back to his work. "It won't be long now, Yami." 

***

Joey sat in the diner, staring at the menu, but not really reading it. Beside him, Mai sipped at an iced tea, while one finely manicured hand turned the page in her own menu. Joey looked up and rested his chin in his palm. Mai looked up. 

"Already know what you want?" she guessed. 

"Cheeseburger." Joey answered, watching as the waitresses behind the counter at the other side of the room walk back and forth. 

Mai made a face. "You always get that." 

"You always get iced tea." He said then straightened and closed his menu. "She's late." 

"I'm sure that she's fine." Mai said dryly. "I mean, really, between you and Seto, there's no way Serenity is going to come to harm any time soon." 

'Unless we're caught in a situation like during the summer.' Joey thought grimly. Their souls had been stolen so effortlessly; it was only through fate that Serenity had turned up in a place where both Seto and Joey could keep a somewhat limited eye on her. What if something happened that he couldn't prevent? Joey sighed and then yelped as Mai punched his arm rather hard. 

"Snap out of it." She demanded. "Face it, no matter what anybody does, Serenity might get into a situation where she'll have to take care of herself. There's nothing you can do about it and if you keep brooding, then I'm leaving." 

Joey frowned, but nodded. "Fine." 

Mai let out a breath. "Joey...I can understand that you're worried. But give Serenity some credit. She's a smart girl." 

Before Joey could say anything, a shadow fell across the table. Serenity dropped into her seat. "It's cold out there!" she exclaimed. "Good thing Seto insisted on the car; I was going to walk." 

Mai smiled at her boyfriend's sister. "I ordered you some pop." She said. Serenity nodded and took a sip of the sweet liquid before she beamed at her brother. 

"Hey, Joey. Guess what? My choir teacher wants me to do a solo. Isn't' that great?" the girl's eyes sparkled. Joey smiled back. 

"Yeah." The blonde boy seemed to relax and Mai nodded to herself. Joey needed to relax. 

***

Ryou watched the sky darken as track practice ended. Rei was the co-captain of the track team, but the captain would be graduating in spring and Ryou was willing to bet that Rei would soon be his replacement. 

The girl tugged at her gray sweatshirt, trying to cool off and waved. Ryou smiled and waved back as she jogged towards the lockers. He looked back down at the chapter in his English book he had been reading. The reason he had waited for Rei was that he was going to her house for dinner. He usually did; Rei didn't like him going home to a lonely apartment all the time. 

About twenty minutes later Rei appeared her hair slightly damp and down. "Brr...It's cold. Let's go before my head freezes." She said. Ryou grinned at the image of Rei with icicles hanging off her hair in his mind. The two of them began to walk quickly. 

"Your tan wore off." She commented. 

"It wore off about three weeks ago." Ryou returned. "And you've said that about five times now." 

"Huh? Have I?" Rei blinked. Ryou laughed and put his arm around her shoulders again. 

"That's okay." He said softly. The two of them fell silent for a little while as they walked. 

***

The sky was now a cascade of purple and blue, studded with pin points of light. A man stood on the balcony of a tall building, looking out at the lights of the city. The sharp cold wind blew his black trench coat as his pale, pupil-less blue eyes studied the view. A grim smile stretched his thin lips. 

This was going to be fun indeed. 

*******

**Jaid: *arms around Naga* Isn't it great? I got my muses back!**

**Naga: *turning blue***

**Jaid: Anyway, this is a note for Indigo; I hope that Ankh and Scales make an appearance, but it might not be done till near the end. We'll see how it goes. **

**Jad: Well, bye now! **

**Jaid: And remember to review!**

**Naga: *is now purple***

**Jaid: Bye! Hey look, Jad, Naga is the same color as the review button! He wants everyone to review too!**

**Jad: Uh, Jaid...*sweatdrop***


	2. UNPI

**Jaid: Sorry for the long wait! Well, I'm in Chicago now; interesting place but I miss home. Hopefully, next chapter won't take as long to get out…sigh**

****

****

The sharp ringing of the bell was almost drowned out as students burst from their classrooms for recess. Yugi expertly weaved through the crowd and stopped in front of his locker.

He stuffed his books inside and closed it then turned as Ryou walked up. The white-haired boy's locker was right next to Yugi's. The smaller boy smiled up at his friend.

"I had a hard time in history class." He said. "Yami kept being sarcastic."

Ryou chuckled, but didn't say anything as he shut his locker. The two boys began walking towards the outside.

The sun shone brightly, but it still didn't penetrate the autumn coolness that had settled on the city. Ryou and Yugi walked up to where the girls and Duke were talking about something, while Joey and Tristan argued in the back ground.

"Hello!" Yugi chirped as they joined the group. Ryou gave a quiet smile and stood next to Rei.

From the bushes that lined the school's chain link fence, a pair of large gray eyes studied the kids. A soft hiss of surprise emitted from the person as Yugi turned and the Millennium Puzzle appeared in full view. This was interesting...

"How about you just shoot me now?" came a grumbled complaint from behind a stack of papers. Nami Urashira crossed her arms and narrowed her purple eyes. Why was she stuck with paperwork?

As if reading her mind, a tall woman with layered chocolate brown hair answered, "We didn't want a repeat of the zombie incident."

"So, nobody told me that it wasn't okay to chase them into the nursing home." Nami grumbled as she reached for the first sheet. The woman, Yoko Negai, raised an eyebrow, then stood.

"Call Ai if you need help. I need to go to the shrine." Yoko paused at the doorway and looked back. "Oh and Nami..."

The girl looked up. Yoko smiled. "Try not to burn them this time. Sai nearly had a heart attack."

Nami grumbled as a chuckling Yoko left the office.

"How about Swamp Punch? Or gelatin brains?"

A giggle. "That's so gross."

"That's the point!"

Seto smiled slightly as Serenity and Mokuba's voice floated in from the living area near his private home office. The two of them were having a great time planning this party. It was probably a good thing too. Mokuba had never really had a chance like this.

The CEO finished his document and closed it, then opened an accounting program. Serenity's giggles turned into a bout of full-blown laughter and he was momentarily distracted from the report he was supposed to be studying.

A knock on his door caused him to look up. Serenity stood there. He nodded a little and she walked in.

"Hey, Mokuba was wondering if you wanted to come and help plan." She stated. "I think he just wants some time with you."

Seto looked at his report, then back at Serenity's green eyes. It was very tempting...He sighed and closed it down. "Sure." He said, standing.

The Japanese branch of UNPI – United Nations Paranormal Investigators – had been a good job, Yoko Negai decided. A miko or shrine priestess, she was very well equipped to study strange things. And Japan seemed to focus a lot of oddness.

The miko rose from her kneeling position, her traditional garments rustling a little. Absently, she thought that cutting her hair had been a mistake; even if she had needed to go undercover. At least the brown dye would wash out soon and return to her inky black locks.

The sound of hurrying footsteps caused her to turn as a young woman, with pink hair and dark green eyes ran in, gasping for breath. "Hey, Yoko-san! You'll never guess what Kiya found!"

"Take a breath, Kimiko." Yoko said, smiling indulgently. "And what did Kiya find?"

Kimiko Urashira obeyed her sensei and calmed down. "Kayak just called from Domino. She said that a boy at a local high school as a very old Item. She sent a picture for us to look up." The pink haired girl held up a cell phone.

'Thank Kami-sama for modern technology.' Yoko thought, taking it. She blinked. "Looks Egyptian."

"Cool, huh?" Kimiko's green eyes were bright. Yoko smiled and handed back the phone.

"Take this back to HQ and have Li run it through his search engine." She directed. "And then hurry back. It's almost time for Setsubon and Halloween; we're going to be busy..."

Yugi rang up the cash register and handed the kid in front of the counter his change. The boy smiled and left the shop. Yugi ripped of the receipt and put it in the container for the day's papers. He sighed a little, resting his chin on his hand and looked at the clock. Grandpa had better be home soon; Yugi was supposed to leave to meet Tea and the others at the movie theater in about half an hour.

The bell above the door jingled and a man entered. Yugi sat up. "Hello." He said in a cheerful tone. "Can I help you?"

The man's eyes met his; pale blue and pupil-less. Yugi felt a sudden chill run up and down his back and his smile fell a bit.

"I just wanted some booster packs." He answered, then turned to look at the display cases. Yugi watched him for a moment, then let his eyes fall.

/I don't like the way he feels../

Nor I. Yami admitted gravely. Yugi...be careful.

Yugi mentally nodded then jumped a little when he opened his eyes and the man was before the counter. A few booster packs were dropped on the counter. Yugi picked them up and the money the man dropped on the counter as well, rang it up and then held out the booster packs.

The man's fingers stretched out and took them, inadvertently touching Yugi's hand. The teen gasped a little; the man's fingers felt frozen.

"It's chilly out today." The man's voice was soft and almost silky, but only now did Yugi hear the danger lurking underneath it. "And it's been a long walk."

"Y-yeah.." Yugi answered. The man took his pack and left the shop. Yugi let his arm fall, the chills receding. How weird...

Nami stormed from the office room, her teal blue locks bouncing with her stomping footsteps. Marching up to another office door, she gave a loud knock. It opened a moment later to reveal a slender, rather bishounen man with long black hair and violet eyes.

"Is something wrong, Miss Nami?" he asked, a slight hesitation in his soft voice. Nami gave a disgruntled look.

"Will you come tell Li to stop flicking popcorn into my hair?" she growled. The young man, Sai, made a slight face.

"I do not think he will listen to me-" Sai began, but was interrupted as Nami grabbed his arm and dragged him forcibly from his office.

"Yes he will, if you give him your famous battle glare. That makes lots of people back down!" she said brightly. Sai feebly protested as she dragged him towards the main office area, to a section where a young Chinese man sat at a computer, a half full bowl of popcorn on the desk next to him. Nami promptly pushed Sai forward. "Tell him!" she demanded.

Li turned, fixing his almond shaped black eyes on Sai. The man sighed, drew himself up to his full height and calmly stated, "Miss Nami does not appreciate the...er, popcorn flicking. Would you be so kind as to discontinue your activities, Li-san?"

"Yeah, sure." The Chinese hacker turned back to his work. Sai blew out a breath and turned. Nami was back at her desk, answering the phone. The dark look that came over her face prompted Sai to run over and grab the receiver before Nami scathingly grilled whoever was on the other side.

While placating the frantic female on the other end of the line, Sai sighed. Days like these made him wish that he was still a simple Go instructor...

There was no moon tonight. The lamp posts seemed to be lonely envoys of light as the shadows around them seemed to be as black and bottomless as the bowels of Hell itself.

Some said that Hell was hot, full of flames and heat. They were wrong. Hell was cold; an ice that slowly froze the heart and mind.

The man stopped at the edge of the circle of light the lamp-post created. A hand reached up and took the cigarette from his mouth and dropped it on the ground, where it was crushed by the man's black boots.

Wind blew by, caressing the man's grayish white locks as he smiled grimly, fangs appearing.

Tonight, for the first time in a long while, he would taste blood.

The sun had baked the sand all day, but amazingly, that night the sand would be delightfully cold thanks to the darkness. Isis paused to empty her sandal of the hot sand, realizing that it probably would have been better to come that night, but she had grown up with too many superstitions and too much proof that magic existed.

She entered the decades old courtyard, it's cracked pillars telling that it had once had a roof, although now it's painted and tiled floor was laid bare to the sun's face. She crossed to a small alcove, where in the carved rock, was a statue of a man and woman.

Here her mother had been laid to rest after an excruciating birth which had left the Ishtar family with an heir. And here their father had been laid after his murder. Isis placed her offering of food and drink on the altar below the small statues, knelt and bowed her head in a quiet prayer.

Rising, the Egyptian woman replaced her cowl and hood, which she had discarded before. Kohl lined eyes studied the seemingly endless desert that lay beyond her family's traditional burial ground and she briefly wondered how bad the sandstorms would be this year and if the ground would have to be dug out again.

Then she turned, gold anklets tinkling as she headed back to her home.

The next morning, school was abuzz. Yugi walked down the hallways, overhearing the quiet murmurs, but nothing concrete. He paused at his locker and looked up at Ryou, who was already there. The two exchanged brief greetings, before they headed for their classroom.

"Do you know what's going on?" Yugi asked curiously. Ryou nodded.

"I'm afraid I do." The boy said quietly. "Kurou-san was murdered last night."

Yugi stopped in shock. "What?" he cried. "How? Who would want to kill Kurou-san?"

Ryou shrugged, looking uncomfortable. Kurou had been the head janitor, an older man who had a grumpy exterior, but who had been friendly with the kids who were commonly bullied or teased. Yugi blinked back tears and felt Ryou's hand on his shoulder.

"We have to get to class." The white-haired boy quietly reminded. Yugi nodded and started to move again.

"It is Ancient Egyptian." Li stated, putting some papers on Yoko's desk. The miko picked them up and scanned them quickly. "Not much info on it though."

"No." Yoko agreed. "Oh well, it was just a hunch. Kiya's new and not properly trained."

"Still, she does have pretty good senses." Sai spoke up from the desk opposite Yoko's. His violet eyes were thoughtful. "There might be something in it, koishii."

Yoko blushed a little at the term 'beloved' but glared at Li's mischievous grin. "I can't really spare anyone from Tokyo at the moment, Sai." She stated, putting the papers down. "This is a busy time of year for us. Demons get loose easily this time of year, stupid kids performing rites or curses they don't understand...not to mention the kitsune and tanuki are especially rampant..." she sighed. "Jean'll have my head if we have a repeat of the Jakumon incident."

Sai shuddered; he wasn't fond of spiders. Much less spider-demon females. Li snorted. "Then tell Jean to get his French ass out here."

Yoko gave Li a flat look and Sai looked shocked at the hacker's language. Li raised his hands placatingly. "Fine. It was just an idea."

"Yoko-san!" Kimiko burst in with her usual breeziness. "Kiya has another report!!"

Yoko held out her hand and Kimiko promptly placed the compact, silver cell into it. "Negai here." The woman said in a crisp tone. The room was quiet as she spoke and remained so after she had hung up.

Yoko sighed and put her head in a hand. "Kiya said that there was a strong possibility of there being a vampire feeding last night in Domino. She still has to validate it."

Li blinked, while Kimiko gasped. Sai remained impassive, but his soft features had hardened and his eyes narrowed.

"That means someone has to go to Domino, right?!" Nami exploded from the doorway. Kimiko jumped and whirled as her older sister bounded in and stopped in front of Yoko's desk. "Right?"

"Nami, we've been over this-"

"Yoko-san, please!" Nami begged. "If I'm stuck with anymore paperwork, I'll explode!"

Sai looked alarmed, completely losing his "battle look" (as Nami had termed it). Yoko looked vaguely irritated, while Li grinned.

"Nami.."

"Please!" the girl looked about ready to go on her hands and knees.

"I'll take her." A young woman with chestnut curls and a sweet face said from the doorway. Yoko's face brightened.

"Ai! Come in."

Ai Touya grinned. "Besides, I have to go help Kiya with the forensic evidence anyway. And Akira is away for the week, so this is the perfect time."

Yoko looked at Sai. He shrugged, then smiled softly. Yoko sighed. "All right. Nami, you will accompany Ai."

"Yes!" Nami pumped a fist in the air.

"But no recklessness or else!" the miko threatened. Nami immediately became meek.

"Yes, ma'am."

**Iris: Great…the one time you review you have to point out all my mistakes. Lol, j/k. Glad you did review for once, my oh most loyal minion.**

**Dr. Vorlon: Ah, the great motivator. Lol. Thanks for reading and reviewing!**


	3. More than one murder?

****

Jaid: Eep! Sorry this is so late! But I've been so homesick that I haven't been haven't had much inspiration…

"I'm home!" Yugi tugged off his sneakers and ran up the stairs. Once inside his room, he curled up on his bed, still disturbed by the news he had that morning. A slightly cold, but still friendly presence was suddenly beside him.

"Yugi?" Yami's deep voice was full of concern. His crimson eyes filled with worry as Yugi did not respond. The ghost placed his hand on Yugi's shoulder as the young boy began to quietly sob, slender shoulders shaking.

Yami sat down on the bed next to his soul partner. Though he had gone through much, Yugi had never faced the death of someone he knew closely before. It was a hard thing for anyone and Yami knew it would not be the last time for his young friend. Death was an inevitable part of life. One mourned it, but one also had to move on.

However, the former pharaoh said nothing. The only comfort Yugi needed was his presence and that, the spirit could give.

Serenity was looking over rolls of tissue streamers, comparing the prices of two brands when a soft clearing of a throat caused her to look up. The girl's green eyes lit up. "Ryou!"

The white haired boy smiled pleasantly. "Hello Serenity. I saw you and thought I would come over to say hello."

"Well, hello!" she grinned. "What are you doing in the craft store?"

Ryou held up his basket. "Costume material. You?"

In answer, Serenity held up hers. "Party decorations and such. Good thing I like to shop!"

Ryou laughed pleasantly. "Well, I'll see you later."

"Yeah, bye!" Serenity waved as the boy walked away.

The subway doors opened and Nami stepped out with Ai right behind her. The blue-haired girl looked around in interest as Ai spoke on her cell to Yoko.

"Nami! Ai!" a tiny, chocolate skinned girl with waist length lavender hair ran up, waving. "You're finally here!"

Nami laughed and hugged her friend. "It's so good to see you Kiya! I wish I could go on the field with you more!"

Ai smiled as she put away her phone. "So, we'll check into our hotel and meet over lunch. Then it's all business, understand?"

Nami and Kiya nodded quickly. Ai suggested they get the luggage and the three set off.

Ryou made a face as he and Rei struggled with costume patterns. Rei's grandmother was bent over a length of deep red material that was to go with Rei's ninja girl costume. Ryou was dressing as a white cloaked mage from one of his favorite video games.

Mrs. Yustube, Rei's maternal grandmother, looked up. "Try smoothing it out more." she directed. "Rei."

Rei smiled and nodded. "Yes, grandmother." she said obediently. Ryou stuck a pricked finger in his mouth and the brown eyed girl gave him an amused glance. Ryou shrugged.

An hour later, the pieces for Rei's costume were cut out and Ryou's pattern pieces had been pinned to his chosen material. The teens sat down to dinner with Rei's grandparents. The living room and dining room was really one long area and Mr. and Mrs. Yustube usually watched the news during the evening meal.

"Reports of a strange killing last night have been reported." the dark haired newscaster stated. "One was here, at Domino High where janitor Basho Kurou was found dead by a receptionist. The other occurred-"

The channel suddenly changed. Mrs. Yustube frowned. "Murder isn't a very nice dinner topic." she said. Rei met Ryou's eyes. There had been another killing?

Ai studied the marks on the man's neck and frowned beneath her mask. Blood still stained the man's neck; so he hadn't been completely drained. That in itself was a given, considering that the man hadn't turned into a ghoul.

She sighed and brought the sheet up again to cover the man's face. Three others had been killed in similar fashions, but not completely drained. It was almost as if the vampire were deliberately announcing his or her presence; daring them to try and catch the culprit.

Removing her gloves and mask, Ai walked out of the building, nodding to the policeman who had the unfortunate job of guarding the police morgue.

Outside the building, Kiya and Nami sat on the stairs, talking quietly. Ai smiled and said, "Time to go girls", in a cheerful tone.

"What did you find out?" Nami immediately asked as she jumped to her feet. Ai paused, then told them.

Both frowned.

"Well, at least we know the vampire isn't building a personal army." Kiya stated, trying to be optimistic.

"True." Ai nodded, but it worried her. Four people were dead; how many more corpses would the vampire tease them with?

Serenity hummed as she cut cards out of black construction paper. In the kitchen, she heard her mother moving about, making dinner and listening to the evening news. Serenity paused and wondered if she should make orange pumpkins or white skeletons for the front of the cards.

The phone rang and Mrs. Wheeler answered it in the kitchen. "Serenity, it's for you!"

The red-headed girl sprang to her feet and retrieved the phone from her mother. Holding it up to her ear, she said, "Hello?"

"Hi." Seto's low voice greeted her. Serenity's eyes lit up.

"Seto!" she smiled. "I'm so glad you called. I have a problem."

"Oh?" there was an undertone of worry in Seto's voice; barely detectable. "What is it?"

"Do I put pumpkins or skeletons on our invitations?"

There was a pause.

"Um..."

Serenity held back a giggle. She knew she shouldn't throw him off like that, but it was so much fun!

The sound of a humming sewing machine was in the background as Ryou helped Rei with the dinner dishes. Both had stayed silent as Ryou rinsed the dishes and Rei put them in the dishwashing machine.

"I should probably call Yugi." Ryou finally broke the silence. "Just to see how he is doing. Kurou-san's death...well, it hit him pretty hard."

"Oh." Rei nodded. "Yeah, then maybe you should."

More silence. Ryou inwardly sighed. Times like this were becoming more and more frequent; pauses where neither seemed to know what to say. Sometimes the silence was comfortable; at others, it was slightly tense, both of them waiting for the other to break it. This was one of those latter times.

Ryou suddenly reached over and turned off the water. He had had to lean closer to Rei to do so and the girl jumped slightly. Ryou, hand still on the handle, stared at her with surprise.

"Just startled me a little." She explained. "I forgot the water was on."

"Oh."

The two of them stared at each other for a long time. Ryou had kissed her once in a situation like this...and he felt his head lower again, almost as if he weren't really in control. To his surprise, Rei didn't move.

"Rei! Come try this on!" Mrs. Yutsube's call cut through the silence, shattering it like a china plate on a stone floor. The two teens jumped.

"Coming!" Rei called and left the room quickly. Ryou leaned against the sink, his face red.

"Nothing then." Yoko asked. Ai sighed into the phone, leaning against the oak head board of her hotel bed.

"No. Not really. I'm confused though. Why wouldn't the vampire drain the bodies completely?"

"I don't know." Yoko admitted. "I've got Li researching vampires right now; they're not really my forte. I've got to report to Jean soon though. He's going to want to know what's going on."

"Right." Ai looked at the sleeping bodies of Nami and Kiya in the next bed.

"Ai?"

"Yeah?"

"Be careful." Yoko said softly. Ai smiled. Yoko had been her trainer when she had joined the organization at the young age of fifteen.

"I will." she murmured. "Don't worry, Yoko. After all, you're the one inclined to get into trouble."

"Go to sleep." Yoko said in her old, irritable tone. Ai giggled.

"Good night."

"'night." Yoko answered. Ai hung up and sighed.

The next day was a Saturday and so, found Joey, Tristan, Yugi, Tea, Katya and Tara meeting at the park. Tara and Tea were going over some more difficult moves for their cheerleading squad while Katya suggested helpful hints. The boys mainly goofed off.

It was a pleasant day; one of the last days that would be cool, but not too cold and the sun would shine as the brightly colored leaves fell. Yugi sat on the swing set, staring up, moving back and forth slowly. In the background, Joey and Tristan were wrestling.

'It's so peaceful...'

Shouts of a cheer as Tea and Tara practiced floated on the air. Yugi closed his eyes.

'I wish it could always be like this...'

Katya laughed as Tea tripped and nearly ended up face first on the ground. Her giggle over-rode Tara's chuckles.

'I wish we could be happy for always...'

Tristan dug his knee into Joey's back. The blonde boy hollered in protest.

'Days like this...'

Katya clapped as the other girls finished the cheer with almost no mistakes.

'I wish...'

Joey grabbed Tristan in a headlock while Tea yelled for them to stop being childish.

'I wish it could last forever...'

"And so another awakens." the man's cruel smile grew wider. "Is it not so, Natalya?"

The woman, dressed in a scarlet gown turned and narrowed golden eyes. "So," she spat. "It is you? What poor fool released you from the bowls of the Underworld?"

The man, his pale white locks hanging in his red eyes grinned, baring a fang. "That is my secret." He slid off the window sill he was on and walked toward the woman. To her credit, she did not step backwards, but glared at him defiantly.

"And you still refuse to accept what you are?" he asked quietly.

"I am what you made me." she ground out, then began to mist away until she completely disappeared. The man went back to the window as a black raven flew under the light of full moon.

A haunting laughed echoed into the street below.

Ai snapped awake, her eyes wide and heart thumping. That dream...

She glanced over at the other bed as Nami turned in her sleep. Ai slipped out from the covers and put on a bathrobe. She walked to the window and brushed aside the thick curtain.

A full moon tonight. Her mouth twisted in worry.

She hoped there weren't any werewolves out.

"Stop laughing; it hurts you ass hole!" Yoko shouted, fuming. Kimiko, startled, gasped and dropped the first aid kit. Li grinned at her unapologetically. Sai frowned and pushed the taller man out of the way.

"I will finish this, Li-san. Why don't you help Miss Kimiko with that first aid kit?" He suggested, sounding a little strained. Li went over and started helping the flustered girl. Sai took Yoko's wounded leg and carefully began cutting away her jeans. Yoko was silent, watching his hard expression.

"Sai..." she murmured.

"Don't." his voice was hard as his face. Kimiko brought over the kit and Li some warm water and a rag. The hacker took Kimiko's arm. "We're going to go clean up. C'mon, Kim."

There was an uncomfortable silence. Sai began to wash the long tear in her muscle and Yoko jumped.

"Sorry." the man said quietly.

"It's okay." Yoko swallowed. "Just...just please stop it. I hate it when you do this."

"Do what?" Sai looked up at her. Yoko sighed.

"Do this; shut down, get harsh when I get into danger. On this job, it's gonna happen. When I first met you we both were in a lot of danger, remember?"

Sai's clenched looked came back and he took out some disinfectant. "You nearly got bit; you're lucky it was just his claws. How do you think I would feel, seeing the woman I love turn into a..." he stopped talking for a moment.

"It's part of the job." Yoko reminded him, her voice uncharacteristically gentle.

"You just seem to attract more danger than normal." Sai took out the bandages. "It seems sometimes..."

"Seems like what?" Yoko asked.

"That you don't think; you're so reckless-"

"I'm reckless?" Yoko looked a little angry. "I'm reckless?"

Sai scowled harder. "Well, yes, now that you mention it, you are!"

Yoko clenched her fists. "I was just trying to get the job done!"

"Well, you sure as hell don't do that by jumping in front of the werewolf!" Sai's violet eyes flashed.

"I did not jump!" Yoko shouted.

Li winced and shut the door. Kimiko looked at him, green eyes wide. "Li..."

The handsome Chinaman forced a smile. "Go on to bed, Kim. They're both just tired; I'm sure it will blow over in the morning." He said reassuringly. Kimiko got up and left the room, but it didn't look as if she entirely believed him.

****

Dr. Vorlon: bows Thank you so much for your words! Hope you enjoy the chapter.

Iris - ROFL!! Most Loyal Minion! That's great! I luv you; you know that right? Jean maybe will turn up later; possibly Leila as well. I'm not too sure about Edward and Kaori. I'm glad you liked this chapter.

Animegoil - lol, don't worry about that; I'm a huge Ryou fan girl. grin


	4. Hunted

Yugi suddenly awoke and blinked. He thought he had heard a sharp rapping on the door downstairs...he glanced at the clock; it was nearly three in the morning. It had to have been a dream...

Suddenly the noise happened again and Yugi jumped. He climbed out of bed and peered out in time to see his grandfather, wearing an old maroon robe, walking down the stairs. Yugi followed, the stars on his pajamas glowing an eerie green in the darkness.

When he entered the shop, Grandpa was hurriedly unbolting the door. Outside stood Ryou and Yugi gasped.

The boy's clothes were torn and dirty; his hair was mussed and looked as if he had been running through trees. A cut on his left cheek was still bleeding and his right eye was swelling up in a bruise. Grandpa threw open the door and Ryou stumbled in and slumped to his knees, shaking and breathing heavily.

"Ryou, what happened?!" Yugi asked, running forward and kneeling in front of his friend. The boy struggled to regain his breath.

"He can tell us later." Grandpa stepped in as Akiko appeared in the doorway.

"Dad, what's going..." the woman's voice faded away and she turned. "I think we have a first aid kit in the bathroom." she said. Yugi heard her going back up the stairs. He and his Grandpa helped Ryou to his feet, and the boy gave a gasp of pain.

"What is it?" Yugi asked worriedly.

"My hand...please don't grab it again..." Ryou weakly mumbled.

"Sorry." Yugi apologized.

Getting up the stairs was a feat; as Ryou was considerably taller than both Grandpa and Yugi. Also, the cramped staircase allowed really only one person at a time, so Grandpa walked behind Ryou, who stumbled up wards, holding the railing as if it were a lifeline.

Akiko had turned on the lights in the kitchen and placed the first aid kit on the table. She had also put a kettle on and stood in her powder blue robe and pink slippers as the three appeared. Ryou wavered and nearly fell, but Akiko caught his shoulder and guided him to a chair. "I think you could use a hospital." she said crisply and looked at his left wrist. It was bruised and swollen. She picked it up and Ryou yelped.

"This is broken." Akiko rubbed her eyes tiredly. "Dad, why don't you make some coffee real quick? Yugi call a cab; I'm going to get dressed and take Ryou to the hospital."

Morning in the office was tense. Li sat at his computer and sighed. Sai and Yoko were not talking to each other. As much as he liked them both...they could be a real pain in the ass sometimes. The usually easy going Sai hated it when Yoko was reckless - which she was quite a bit and the miko was always hot tempered. Plus, she hated being told she was wrong.

Kimiko cried out as she spilled a file. The tenseness was not helping her. The cute, pink haired girl was terminally clumsy and this argument was making it worse. She bent down and began picking things up in a hurry. Li sighed, pushed his chair away and bent down to help her.

It was four hours later and Yugi sat beside Ryou's hospital bed. The white haired boy was asleep; exhausted. Most of his injuries weren't serious; mostly bruises and abrasions, but his wrist had been badly broken and several ribs cracked. Yugi wondered who - or what - had attacked him and why.

"Yugi" Akiko put her hand on her son's shoulder. "You need to get to school now. I'll stay with Ryou, okay?"

Yugi nodded and picked up his backpack. He threw Ryou one more glance over his shoulder and then left.

Rei sat in the class as the math teacher wrote equations on the board. She glanced over near the front at Tara, who looked unusually somber. Rei wondered why; the cheerleader was usually a bright presence. Suddenly, a note was pressed into her hand by the boy next to her. She stared at him questioningly and he nodded towards Tara. Rei picked up her math book and held it up while unfolding the note as quietly as she could with one hand.

Rei -

Yugi asked me to tell you that Ryou was in the hospital. Nothing serious; a broken wrist and some cracked ribs. But Yugi thinks he might have been attacked. What's going on? It's not the dude who attacked us in Egypt do you think?

Tara

Rei bit her lip. She had no idea. turning the note over, she quickly scribbled a message.

Tara -

I have no idea. Only, that guy didn't use physical attacks, remember? Look, let's not worry about this until after Ryou tells us what happened; it was probably some gang members or something. You know they pick on him a lot.

Rei

She handed it to the boy and noted that it got to Tara. She looked back at the teacher, who had turned to face the class again. But it was going to be awful hard to concentrate...

"Nothing. Nothing at all." Ai said into her cell phone. She and the girls were walking back to the hotel after an interview with some of the janitor's co-workers. "I don't know what to do."

"Just keep trying, I guess." Yoko stated, then sighed. Ai frowned.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing. Look, um, you might have to do some night patrols I guess. But for heaven's sake be careful."

Ai barely refrained from rolling her green eyes. "Yes, I know."

"Okay. Let me know what happens."

"Will do." Ai hung up and put her cell into her bag. Fumbling with the clasp, she ran into a stranger. "Oh, sorry..." the words died on her lips.

Ahead, Nami and Kiya turned. Nami's purple eyes widened. "Ai!" she shouted, springing into a run. The woman was on her hands and knees, breathing heavily.

"Ai, what's wrong?" Nami asked, putting her hand on the slender woman's shoulder. Ai blinked and looked around, her chestnut curls bouncing.

"That man..." she said breathlessly. "Where did he go?"

"What man?" Kiya asked, looking around as well

"He was cloaked and..." Ai paused. "Never mind." the woman stood.

"Did you get a vision?" Nami asked somberly as Ai dusted of her tan jacket.

"Back to the hotel." the woman answered crisply.

Tea glanced at Yugi. The short boy was asleep on his desk, lunch forgotten. Tea stood and walked over, gently shaking him. "Yugi?"

"Huh?" Yugi's violet eyes opened and he looked up at her. "Huh?"

Tea smiled and knelt next to him. "You fell asleep; are you okay?"

Yugi rubbed his eyes and sat up. "Yeah. I just...got up early today."

Tea frowned. "What do you mean? You were fifteen minutes late to class..." her blue eyes widened. "What happened?"

Yugi sighed, then quietly told her the whole story. Tea was silent, the look in her blue eyes uneasy. Yugi put his hand on hers. "I'm sure it's fine....I mean, well...Ryou gets bullied still at times like I do-"

"I know what you're saying." Tea interrupted quietly. "And you might be right." she hesitated and swallowed. "It's just that...ever since summer vacation, I've been on edge. It was enough having to worry about you during that whole Pegasus thing; now I have to worry about all of us. All right, so I don't have to." she quickly added as Yugi opened his mouth. "But I still do."

Yugi nodded. "Sorry." he said softly. Tea frowned.

"What for?"

The pointy haired boy shifted in his seat a little. "For...well...I mean, if you weren't so close to me, then you wouldn't-"

Tea laughed and cut him off with a hug. "Don't be silly. There's no way I could've not gotten close to you after we met." She pulled away. "And this isn't your fault, so none of that either." She suddenly turned and glared. "Don't you guys have anything better to do?"

Tristan, Joey and Duke suddenly found their desks very interesting.

"Rei?"

The brown haired girl looked up from tying her sneakers as Ichiro, the track captain, jogged over. "Yeah?" she asked.

"Hey, look, if you want to cut on practice today, then I can smooth it over with Coach." the boy offered, his green eyes filled with concern. Rei looked back down at her sneakers.

"Why would I want to do that?" she asked, finishing one shoe and starting the other.

"Because of what happened." Ichiro said quietly. "To Ryou."

Rei's lips pursed as she straddled the bench. She put her hands on it and looked up at Ichiro again. "News travels fast."

Ichiro shrugged. "I know you two are close and I thought you'd rather be with him instead of here." He put a hand on her shoulder. "I'd understand. If it were you or another one of my friends, I'd want to be with them too."

Rei blew out a breath. "Thanks, but I'll be fine." she looked up at him. "We have a match next week and we both know that I'm the best runner on the team. I need to practice. Ryou would understand."

"If you're sure-"

"I am."

Ichiro smiled. "Okay."

"Four mysterious deaths, one cloaked man and two strange visions that seem to have no meaning." Ai sighed to herself and chewed the end of her pen. She was tired; Nami and Kiya were already on patrol, equipped with radios as well as other things needed to fight vampires. Ai rubbed her temples and thought about the last vision; the one she had after running into the cloaked man.

It was hazy still, and had been more of a string of emotions rather than concrete scenes. Ai was aware of blood and lots of it; also a small boy with odd hair. She frowned, then jumped as the phone rang. Scooping up the sleek silver cell, Ai answered. "Hello?"

"Hi." a man's voice answered. Ai's features relaxed.

"Hi, Akira." she greeted her husband softly. "Back already?"

Yugi rubbed his eyes as he walked home; he'd stopped by the hospital to talk to Ryou but the nurse told him that the boy was asleep and she didn't want to disturb him. Yugi had managed to get a train ride, but even so it was late and he knew that his mother would not be happy with him.

Biting back another yawn, Yugi shivered as a cold breeze tickled at his neck. He needed to start wearing a heavier coat; winter was coming after all. Still...the sudden chill felt familiar...

/Yugi...!/ Yami's mental warning was almost too late, but Yugi had seen the glint of a weapon out of the corner of his eye. Stumbling backwards, he grabbed his arm where it had been cut. From out of the side street, a tall, black clothed figure walked out.

Yugi didn't stay or speak; he simply turned and ran. Behind him, he could hear footsteps and the only thing he was aware of was a steadily growing fear - the type of fear that takes over logic; the type that makes you just want to get away no matter what.

Inside, Yami felt the chill as well, but something else was wrong. He felt trapped; as if he could not get out of his soul room. He couldn't reach Yugi's mind. The spirit gritted his teeth and tried to force the door open. Nothing...

A startled gasp made Shadi turn. He was seated in a stall that sold curios to tourists; he and Isis had set it up not long ago. His wife was seated near the back of the tent, holding her temples. Shadi stood and walked over. "Are you all right?" he asked seriously.

"I don't' know..." Isis answered, opening her dark blue eyes. "But something is very wrong. All I got was a flash of something; it could hardly be called a vision...But Shadi, I think Yugi is in trouble; serious trouble."

Shadi paused a moment, then nodded. "Only one thing to do then." he stated, pulling out the Ankh.

Oh great, here we go...Scales muttered to no one in particular.

Ryou opened his dark brown eyes to see Rei smiling at him.

"Hey." she said softly. He smiled.

"Hi." He looked around the hospital room with a dazed look. "How long have I been asleep?"

"Pretty much all day; that's what they told me." Rei took his uninjured hand. "Ryou, what happened?"

"I'm not sure." the boy spoke slowly, his brown eyes darkening. "I remember being afraid; more afraid than I have ever been in my life. There was something after me, but I didn't know what; all I knew was I had to get away." His grip on her hand tightened and she put her other hand on his shoulder.

"Ryou?"

"I don't even remember how long or how far I ran." he continued. "I was so scared..."

Rei looked at him; he seemed so vulnerable - literally on the edge of tears. Without thinking, she pulled him into her arms and stroked his hair as he cried, the sobs shaking his slender body. Rei closed her eyes and leaned her cheek against the top of his head.

"Its okay, Ryou." she murmured.

"But it's not." He whispered and pulled away to look at her. "They'll keep coming after me. I don't know how I know, but I do...they're after me and..." his brown eyes widened. "Rei, where's Yugi? We have to find him!"


	5. Friend or Foe?

Thirteen years ago...

"Stay away!" the shrill cry of a boy, only about ten years old echoed down the darkened hallway. "All of you, stay away!"

The little girl, four years old, cowered in the closet her brother had shoved her into. Her small hands covered her ears as she hid her head underneath one of the fur coats.

"Get away from here or you'll be sorry!" Edward's voice was close now; it was indignant and brazen, but there was an undertone of fear to it. The little girl, Leila, shut her eyes even tighter as tears streamed down her cheeks. Even with her ears covered, she could hear the voices of those people. The bad people...Eddy had said they had made Mama and Papa go to sleep forever and that if they would do the same to her. Leila didn't want to sleep forever; especially not in a black box like Mama and Papa. It was scary in the dark. She didn't like it. Edward did; he'd sit for hours in nothing but darkness; the sun seemed to hurt him.

There was a crashing sound; a cry of pain from Edward, then a cry of rage. Leila shook her head, whispering rapidly. "Go away bad dream, boo! Go away bad dream, boo!" over and over again, hoping that she would startle herself awake- this had to be a nightmare.

Suddenly all the noise stopped. The closet door opened and Leila looked up, her large brown eyes fearful. But it was only Edward.

"Eddy!" Leila sobbed and ran for him, burying her face in his waist. Edward put a hand on her shoulder and pushed her away. Leila frowned...he was wet; there was dark, slippery stuff all over him and she had gotten it on her dress when she'd ran to him. Edward's black hair was mussed and wild; an inky contrast to his milky pale skin.

"We have to leave, Leila. Or they'll come after us again." He said. "You understand, right? We have to leave and we can't take anything because we have to leave now."

"But why?" she looked around. The bad people were all on the floor with more of the wet stuff around them. "Eddy, why are the bad people asleep?"

"Because I wanted them to be." Edward grabbed her hand and pulled her down the hallway. "Come on Leila; we're going to hide. And we're going to get stronger so that when they come after us, they'll be sorry." His gray eyes became steely. "Yes, they'll all be sorry..."

Yugi was losing his breath fast, but whatever was chasing him kept coming. It was almost as if he were being played with; the figure only ran fast enough to be just a little ways behind. Yugi felt as if the creature was simply wearing him out till he collapsed. And no matter what turns or twists Yugi took, the figure was always right behind, effortlessly following. Tears were streaming down the boy's cheeks, but he wasn't aware of it. His body was shaking already from the exertion and his chest was becoming tighter and tighter from lack of air.

Yugi ducked into a side street. He had to think of something; there had to be a way to lose this thing or fight it if he had too!

There was a deep chuckling behind him. "I wouldn't count on that, little one..." the figure's voice was deep and cruel. Yugi felt his stomach twist; had the hunter known his thoughts?

"Prey always thinks the same way..."

Yugi stopped short and turned instantly, striking out a fist. He didn't expect it to do anything, but he did have the element of surprise. Perhaps he could just stop it long enough to get away...

His fist went through air and with a shock, Yugi realized that the creature was right behind him. It's cold breath ran across his neck as the figure brought up a gloved hand; knife glinting. Yugi inwardly grimaced; his body was frozen. This was it...the end...

Suddenly there was as fleshy thud and the figure hit the ground a few feet away. Yugi opened his eyes and whirled around. A dark-skinned girl stood there; she had lavender hair and large gray eyes. In her hands, there was a gun and it was pointed at the cloaked figure. Standing the creature hissed and then disappeared into mist. The girl pocketed her gun and ran for Yugi.

"Are you alright; it didn't bite you, did it?" she asked, her voice slightly accented. Yugi just stared at her, violet eyes wide.

"Wha...bite?" he asked dazedly. Suddenly, the lack of sleep, the after effect of too much fear and adrenaline and the stress put on his body overwhelmed Yugi and he fell in a dead faint. The girl caught him and gently laid him on the ground.

"Nami; I'm gonna need help." she said in her radio, then quickly gave her coordinates. The girl, Kiya gently traced the eye of Horus on the boy's Puzzle. There was something about this artifact...she could just feel it...

"Ryou, you can't leave; they won't let you." Rei protested as the boy shakily stood. "Take that IV out and you'll be sorry." she added threateningly as Ryou's hand went for the needles in his arm. She took his hand in both of hers. "Ryou, please, just rest. I'll find Yugi."

Ryou's jaw tightened, then he slowly nodded and got back into the hospital bed. Rei gave him a quick hug and then left, pulling out her cell phone as she ran. She'd call Joey and Tristan on her way to Yugi's house.

Ai stood up and brushed an errant curl. Kiya and Nami looked at her from their seat on the second hotel bed. On Ai's bed was a small boy with strange, spiky hair and a golden pyramid around his neck. Ai rubbed her eyes tiredly...it was the same boy from the vision of blood. She wasn't sure what to make of it all.

"Is he all right?" Kiya suddenly asked. Ai turned and quickly smiled.

"Yes, just a little worn out. Do we know who he is or where he lives? It's late and his family will probably be worried."

Both girls shook his head. Ai sighed. "All right then, let's try to find out."

"No." Akiko said. "Okay, thank you, Joey." She hung up and sighed.

"No word?" Grandpa asked worriedly. Akiko shook her head.

"No." she mirrored. "I hope he's not in trouble."

"I'm sure that he's just visiting Ryou and lost track of time." the old man smiled and patted his daughter's arm. She nodded and then looked up as the door in the living room opened. Standing she quickly walked forward as Yugi walked in, followed by a woman with short auburn hair.

"Oh, hello." the woman smiled. "Um, I'm Ai Touya. I brought Yugi home."

The boy sleepily nodded. "Sorry I'm late." he murmured, going over to his mother. She reached out and pulled him to her.

"Thank you, Touya-san." she said quietly. Ai smiled.

"It was no trouble. I'll see you later, Yugi-kun." the woman said, then let her self out. Akiko put her hand on Yugi's shoulders and knelt so she could see his face.

"Where have you been?" she asked in a shaky tone. "Do you know how worried I've been?"

"Sorry." Yugi murmured. Solomon put his hand on Akiko's shoulder.

"Let's talk about this later, Yugi can barely keep his eyes open." he said softly. Akiko nodded.

"All right then. Go to bed, Yugi."

The boy murmured good night and went to his room. Akiko hugged herself and sighed. Solomon patted her back. "It's late. We should turn in too."

Akiko nodded, then turned. "I'm going to call Yugi's friends back first though; they'll be worried."

"You sure that's what he said?" Tristan asked worriedly as Rei got on the back of his motorcycle. She sent him a withering glance as she tugged on the helmet he had given her.

"Yes. Come on, this is important. Yugi's mom called you right? He's not home." she pointed out.

"Yeah." Tristan sighed and kicked the throttle. The engine revved and they shot off.

Ryou laid in his bed, listening to the monitor beeping. He couldn't sleep. He hoped that Yugi was alright and that whatever had been chasing him wasn't after Yugi right now. He glanced at the window and jumped as he saw a shadow whip by. Heart pounding, Ryou inched out of the bed and stood, then walked over.

The window only showed the quiet parking lot. Ryou closed his eyes and turned, then screamed. It was stifled by a hand over his mouth. A woman's face appeared near to his. Her glossy black hair was pulled away from her face, yellow eyes staring intensely into his. Her skin was very pale, in contrast to her red lips. The hand that covered his mouth was cold.

"I am not here to hurt you." the woman said in a quiet tone, slightly accented. "I want to help. You promise to be quiet if I let you go?"

Ryou nodded. The woman removed her hand. "You should lay back down; you're shaking."

The boy sat on the hospitable bed. "Who are you?"

"My name is Natalya de Tremaund." she answered, sitting in the visitor's chair. "You are Ryou Bakura. You are sixteen; you turn seventeen at the end of December. Have top marks in school, but haven't stayed in one place for long since your mother's death. Before that you lived in Egypt for two years, India for three and you were born in England. You had an older sister, Amane who disappeared several years ago. Your father, James, works as an archeologist." she stared at him. "One might wonder why you moved here to Japan."

Ryou felt his mouth dry up. "One might ask why you know so much of my personal business." he retorted. The woman smiled.

"Are you frightened? I don't blame you. But I am not here to harm you."

"Then why are you here?" Ryou asked.

"Because of this." Natalya picked up the Millennium Ring, which was on the table next tot the hospital bed. Ryou stiffened. She smiled grimly.

"I'm not going to take it from you. I am not that foolish." she handed it to him and her smile disappeared. "My kind knows the power of such items. But they will try to change you." she leaned forward. "You have experienced much in your life, Ryou Bakura and you have seen much. I am asking you to trust me for your sake and the sake of your friends."

Well, I should really apologize for my long absence. bows Gomen nasai, minna-san!! Life threw me this huge, gigantic loop and my existence has been a huge mess of chaos recently. But now things are somewhat back to normal, so I'm posting again.

"Flying Shadows" is already completed. I am working on the sequel "Depths of Memory", but I do not plan to post any of it until the entire story is finished. I just think it's easier that way and then I can go back and fix things in the plot later on.

Indigo: Wow, I'm surprised you're still reading this, lol. Unfortunately, I didn't get to work in Shadi, Isis, Ankh and Scales as much as I wanted to. sigh But I am going to try and feature them more in the next one!!

ChildlikeEmpress: Thank you so much for your two enthusiastic reviews; No, Inuyasha and co. are not involved in this story. The white haired vampire is an original creation. Ryou and Rei will eventually fall in love, I'm just not sure when. I don't plan to reveal anything from Rei's past any time soon, but it may come up later. We'll see!

Dr. Vorlon: I'm very sorry!!! You are very loyal tho; I really appreciate that. Hopefully, updates will be a little more regular.


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